This shooting comes as Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a Democrat, is in the final stretch of his campaign for governor against Republican Ron DeSantis.

Gillum took a short break from the campaign trail to meet with victims Friday evening but was back to his schedule of rallies Saturday, including one at the University of Central Florida.

At UCF, Gillum began his speech by asking the crowd to “focus (their) hearts and minds” on those recovering from the shooting in Tallahassee.

He said he received news of the shooting while at a synagogue in South Florida, honoring the 11 people killed last weekend in Pittsburgh. Gillum returned to his hometown late Friday to visit victims.

“This is certainly not the news expected in the final closing days of this race, but I want you to know that I am more agitated and activated more than I ever have been when it comes for the need for us to bring the power of the NRA to heel,” Gillum said.

Gun violence is “far too pervasive in our communities,” Gillum told reporters after the rally. Common sense gun reform is imperative, he said, and so is the need for discretion in “political rhetoric” that he said has led to recent violence. He pointed specifically to the Pittsburgh massacre and Cesar Sayoc, a staunch Trump supporter arrested and charged with mailing pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and journalists.

Gillum and Republican Gov. Rick Scott visited victims in the hospital in Tallahassee on Friday night, a rare sign of nonpartisanship during a heated campaign season. Scott is running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson, and has criticized Gillum on the campaign trail.